It's snowing at the Palace of Power. Mega Man is pacing in front of the front door, guarding it. Lana contacts him and asks how it's going. Mega Man's teeth chatter, and he says that his circuits are freezing. Lana says that, as soon as they get the security system working again, he can stop guarding "the gate" and come in from the cold. Mega Man says to himself that they wouldn't treat him like this if he was human like them. Just then, a mysterious figure dressed all in black arrives. Mega Man orders it to identify itself. It runs into the Palace. Mega Man gives chase down a corridor and tells it to stop, or he'll blast it. Mega Man fires a blast. The figure runs into a room, and the double-doors close behind it. Mega Man walks into the room and sees the rest of the N Team standing there. It turns out that Simon was the mysterious figure in the armor. Simon taks off the helmet. They all wish Mega Man a Happy Birthday. There are a lot of presents stacked on the floor. This is Mega Man's surprise birthday party. Mega Man says he thought they forgot. Kevin puts a party hat on Mega Man's head. Lana kisses Mega Man on his right cheek. Dr. Wright is there, too. Mega Man hugs him. Simon walks over, carrying a birthday cake with three candles on it. Mega Man makes a wish and blows out the candles, blowing cake onto Simon in the process. Kid Icarus asks Mega Man what he wished for. Mega Man says he can't tell him; if he did, it won't come true. Lana suggests that Mega Man opens his presents. Mega Man agrees. Lana gives him a software cartridge that will automatically teach him how to exercise. Mega Man puts the cartridge into a shot in his chest and starts doing aerobics. He thanks Lana and says that he can "grow mega muscles" with this. Duke puts a rolled-up piece of paper on the floor in front of Mega Man. Mega Man thinks it's a newspaper, thanks Duke, and puts it in Duke's bandanna. Kid Icarus gives Mega Man a present and says it's a toolset to repair himself with. Mega Man unwraps it and thanks him. Kevin gives Mega Man a present. Mega Man unwraps it and asks what it is. Kevin says it's a battery-charger, so he can energize while he sleeps. Mega Man thanks him. Simon gives Mega Man a present that's been in his family for generations. It's a mirror. Simon asks if even robots must like to look at themselves now and then. Mega Man agrees. A box falls down from the ceiling and opens. It's Dr. Wright's gift - a female robot with blonde hair in pink armor. She's the same height as Mega Man: short. Dr. Wright made her just for Mega Man. Mega Man is upset and tells him that he doesn't want a friend like him. Lana tells Mega Man that he should thank Dr. Wright for his thoughtful birthday present. Mega Man refuses, yells that it's not his birthday, throws his party hat to the floor; and runs out of the room. Kevin asks what Mega Man meant by that. Dr. Wright says that Mega Man is as close to human as he could make him, but he's still a robot. He wasn't born three years ago; he was turned on. Kevin is surprised.
Kevin and Lana go outside and sit next to Mega Man on the steps. Lana asks Mega Man if he's okay. Mega Man says that he hates his birthday, because it reminds him that he's different. Kevin says that, if everybody was the same, Videoland would be a pretty dull place. He tells Mega Man that they all have to make the best out of what they've got. Mega Man says that's easy for Kevin to say, because he doesn't have batteries instead of a heart. Duke comes by and lays the paper at Mega Man's feet again. Mega Man picks it up and throws it away. Duke chases after it and brings it back. Mega Man realizes that it isn't a newspaper; it's a map to the Warp of Life. Kevin asks Lana if that's the warp zone that's supposed to be able to make things come alive. Mega Man is excited. Lana tells him that the Warp of Life is only a myth or, if it's real, so hard to get to that no one's ever reached it. Mega Man doesn't care and runs off. Lana insults Kevin and leaves. Kevin asks what he said.
The entire N Team and Dr. Wright meet in a corridor. They decide to go with Mega Man. A lid on the wall rises, revealing a warp. Mega Man goes in first, followed by the others. The female robot was hiding out of sight. She runs and jumps into the warp.
On the world that they warped to, the N Team and Dr. Wright arrive at a ruby castle. Mega Man says that the map says that there's a wizard there who can give him some tips on how to get to the Warp of Life. Kevin wonders if it's the same wizard that Dorothy and Toto met in the land of Oz. The drawbridge is up, so Simon tells his whip to pick the lock. The whip picks the lock, and the drawbridge falls on Simon. Mega Man lifts the drawbridge. Simon gets out of a hole and is almost as short as Mega Man.
In the castle, Mega Man calls out for "Mr. Wizard". A booming voice asks who it is that dares to call the "Warp Wizard". Mega Man replies. A miniature green man with blond hair rollerskates out of a machine. Mega Man tells him that he wants to become human like his friends. The Warp Wizard says that Mega Man needs a passage through the Warp of Life. Lana says that she knew it wasn't a myth. The Warp Wizard hops onto his machine and says that the Warp of Life is quite real. He tells Mega Man that, to reach it, he must pass the Three Challenges. If he succeeds, he'll be granted passage through the Warp of Life, but, if he fails, he'll remain a robot forever. Mega Man says that he's ready. The Warp Wizard says that his First Challenge will take place in the Pleasure Zone. Mega Man mentions that the map says he knows a shortcut. The Warp Wizard pulls a lever. The floor falls beneath the N Team and Dr. Wright, and they fall through a circular hole. The Warp Wizard laughs and wishes them good luck. The female robot comes by, waves at the Warp Wizard, and laughs. He waves back at her, surprised. She jumps into the hole.
Moments later, the N Team and Dr. Wright arrive at "one of the weirdest worlds in Videoland". A clown welcomes them to the Pleasure Zone and invites them inside. The clown faces the screen and says that they'll have so much fun, they'll never want to leave.
Inside the Pleasure Zone, Simon sees a bunch of mirrors and looks at his reflection. One of Simon's reflections is wearing a black suit and black top hat. It comes out of the mirror and shows Simon around the place.
Kevin sees a bunch of "video games" on screens. He fires his Zapper at a screen, causing an image of Donkey Kong to turn and run away.
Duke sees a huge bowl of dog food with the word "DUKE" on it and jumps right into it. Mega Man, Kid Icarus, Lana, and Dr. Wright laugh.
Lana sees a clothing store called, apparently, "Steve fashion". She goes and looks at a pink dress. Then she realizes that this place is designed to make them never want to leave. The clown helps her into a fur coat and asks what's wrong with staying if they're having "such a grand old time". Lana guesses nothing and looks at her reflection in a mirror.
Dr. Wright sees a "laboratory" and says he can create anything in it. Mega Man asks if he can make him human. Dr. Wright says he can do better than that; he can increase the power of his "pleasure circuits". He takes a small chip out of his pocket and puts it in or on Mega Man, and Mega Man feels "mega happy".
The episode's featured song begins: "Shake It Up" by the Cars (not performed by them). The N Team and Dr. Wright have a good time in the Pleasure Zone. They ride on a trackless rollercoaster. Kevin throws a ball at a row of bottles and misses. Lana throws a ball and knocks all of the bottles over. She hands Kevin a blue teddy bear. Everyone eats cotton candy. Duke bites a pink thing. It turns out to be the hair of a female dog. The two of them are happy. Simon tries to ring the bell by swinging a mallet. He gets it up high but doesn't ring the bell. Mega Man swings the mallet and knocks the bell off.Dr. Wright is wearing clown make-up and puts the same on Mega Man's face. They all ride on a merry-go-round. Mega Man has forgotten what he came here to do, but he doesn't care, because he's having "such a mega marvelous time". Lana and Kevin "never want to leave". The clown laughs. The song ends.
The N Team and Dr. Wright are riding a Ferris Wheel. The female robot comes by and stops it. She tells the N Team and Dr. Wright that it's a "mega trap". The clown grabs the robot and starts the Ferris Wheel. Dr. Wright agrees with the clown and tries to get Mega Man to have fun. Mega Man realizes that this is the First Challenge to see if he has enough willpower to make it to the Warp of Life. He jumps out of the Ferris Wheel, tackles the clown, squeezes him into the shape of a ball, and kicks him into a giant goldfish bowl filled with giant goldfish. Mega Man tries to get the others to come down, but they refuse, so Mega Man stops the Ferris Wheel, picks it up, carries it outside of the Pleasure Zone, and sets it down. Lana asks what happened. Kevin says they all got a little carried away with having a good time. They all get out of the Ferris Wheel. Simon checks his pocket watch and is surprised to discover that they've been in the Pleasure Zone for three weeks. Kevin and Lana joke about it. Mega Man thanks "Mega Girl" for helping him out and apologizes to her for being impolite before. Mega Girl tries to get Mega Man to come back to Megaland with Dr. Wright and her and be her "best robot friend". Mega Man refuses to give up and tells Mega Girl that he doesn't want her following him anymore. He walks away, and Mega Girl cries. Kevin suggests that they better look after him. Mega Man checks his map, and the rest of the N Team and Dr. Wright follow him.
In the morning, the N Team and Dr. Wright arrive at a shore. Mega Man says that they have to cross the sea. Simon says that the map calls it "The Uncrossable Sea". Mega Man says that he's going to cross it anyhow. Kevin points out that they don't have a ship. Dr. Wright pulls an inflatable ship out of his pocket. Mega Man blows it up into a full-sized ship. Simon asks Dr. Wright if he has an inflatable mountaintop with a 64-room castle, which Simon could have as a summer home on CastleVania. Dr. Wright hands him one, but Simon can't blow it up. Everyone boards the ship. Simon still can't blow up his castle. Kid Icarus tries to pull up the anchor, but it's stuck. Dr. Wright pops the anchor with a needle. The ship sails across the sea. Simon is sick and leaning over the side of the ship. Dr. Wright asks Simon if he wants a glass of water or crackers, both of which Simon refuses. Dr. Wright then asks him if he wants an octopus cheeseburger with a mustard milkshake, causing Simon to throw up. Duke comes by with a fish in his mouth, and Simon apparently takes it into his mouth. Kid Icarus spots something up ahead. It's a "whirlpool warp". Lana urges Mega Man to turn back before it's too late, but he refuses. He says that they're "gonna mega make it". The whirlpool starts sucking them in. Simon gets even sicker. Kevin and Lana hold onto each other and look at each other. Lana tells Kevin to try his Pause button, but "the water must've shorted" his Power Pad. The steering wheel is spinning Mega Man around in circles. He goes into the water to try to reverse the whirlpool. The ship rises into the air and then lands in a safe part of the water. Kevin is about to help Lana to her feet, but Mega man jumps between them and boasts about how he told them that they'd "mega make it". Kid Icarus spots land. The ship stops at an island, and everybody gets off. Simon is delighted to be on "beautiful ground" again, kisses it, and says he'll never leave it again. Suddenly, vines grow out of the ground and form a circle. A female face appears in circle. She says that she's the Warp of Life and invites Mega Man to pass through her. Mega Man asks about the Third Challenge, but Simon urges him to go through. Mega Man is about to step through the Warp of Life, when he hears Mega Girl screaming. She's in a small rowboat out at sea, and a "warp whale" is getting close to her. Mega Girl says that she wants to come with Mega Man. Mega Man wants to help her, but the Warp of Life tells him that he must decide "between Mega Girl or me". Mega Girl falls out of the boat. Dr. Wright says that he can make another robot, but this is Mega Man's "only chance for life". Simon urges Mega Man to think of himself. Mega Man jumps into the water to help Mega Girl. She's pulled into the whale by the current. He lifts a giant anchor out of the water and uses it to hold the whale's mouth open. He gets her out of the whale's mouth. The whale's mouth closes. Mega Man spins the whale's tale and then pushes it away. He tells the whale to go home and not bother them again. Mega Man and Mega Girl walk onto the island. The Warp of Life reveals that choosing to save Mega Girl over becoming human was the Third Challenge, and Mega Man has passed it, proving that he is "worthy of life". Mega Man asks the others tried to talk him into making the wrong decision. Lana says they had to see if he really had what it takes. Kevin says they were playing along with the Warp of Life the whole time; it was part of his surprise. Dr. Wright says this was his birthday present from all of them. The Warp of Life changes into an actual warp. Mega Man jumps into it then jumps out 2 seconds later. Mega Man now has a "mega heart" and says he got his birthday wish: "I'm alive!" Lana and Kevin congratulate Mega Man. Mega Man apologizes to Mega Girl again and thanks her for helping him. Mega Girl wants them to be friends now. Mega Man would like that, but it won't work, because she'll just get upset about how everyone is alive except her. Dr. Wright reveals that Mega Girl already passed the Three Challenges; that's how he knew it could work for Mega Man. Mega Girl is alive, too. When they turn to leave, the Warp of Life gives Mega Man a message of "greatest urgency". It's "Happy Birthday, Mega Man!" This causes everyone to laugh.
Misc. Tidbits (5:20 PM - 5:21 PM)
"Happy Birthday, Megaman" is the thirteenth Captain N episode script that Jeffrey Scott wrote and the thirteenth episode that aired.
I first saw this episode on NBC, then possibly The Family Channel, and finally on "Captain N & The Video Game Masters".
Interesting Notes (5:22 PM)
The title is white with quotes around it.
Great Lines (5:23 PM - 6:17 PM)
(after Mega Man blows birthday cake onto his face)
Simon: "Well,...this isn't exactly what I was wishing for."
Mega Man: "Neato! Just what I always wanted! What is it?"
Kevin: "Hey, if everybody was the same, Videoland would be a pretty dull place. We all have to make the best out of what we've got, Mega Man."
Lana: "Nice going, blabbermouth."
Kevin: "What'd I say? What'd I say?"
Simon: "Count me in. I hear the Warp of Life can grant immortality. Imagine being this good-looking for a zillion years."
Mega Man: "Oz? I never heard of that warp zone. Where is it?"
Kevin: "Uh, in a fantasy land called Hollywood. If you ever visit my world, I'll take you there."
Simon: "Simon says: open the gate."
Warp Wizard: "Stop! Who is it that dares to call the Warp Wizard?"
Mega Man: "Me."
Simon: "Ha. It didn't take Simon Belmont very long to realize this place was just a pleasure trap. What? Why, that's impossible. We've been in the Pleasure Zone for three weeks."
Kevin: "Oh, well, you know what they say."
Kevin and Lana: "Time flies when you're havin' fun!"
Simon: "Say, I've always wanted a summer home on CastleVania. You wouldn't happen to have an inflatable mountaintop with a 64-room castle, would you?"
Dr. Wright: "As a matter of act, I do."
Simon: "I can't believe it!"
Lana: "For an uncrossable sea, this is turning out to be a pretty enjoyable voyage."
Kevin: "Don't tell that to Simon."
Simon: "Oh, you beautiful ground, you. I'll never leave you again."
The Warp of Life: "I'm sorry, Mega Man, but life waits for no one. It's now...or never."
Simon: "Dr. Wright's...right. Forget about her, Mega Man. Think of yourself...just like I do."
The Warp of Life: "Wait. There is one more thing I must tell you that is of greatest urgency."
Mega Man: "What is it?"
The Warp of Life: "Happy Birthday, Mega Man!"
Dumb Lines (6:18 PM)
See my rant below.
Sick Moments (6:18 PM)
Dr. Wright makes Simon throw up.
Rant (7:30 PM - 11:46 PM; Sunday, February 2, 2003, 8:40 AM - 9:56 AM, 12:00 PM - 1:31 PM, 2:20 PM - 3:15 PM, 4:25 PM - 6:45 PM)
Oh...my...God. This was horrible. Where to begin?
I guess I should begin by saying that Mother Brain isn't in this episode. However, unlike "In Search of the King", "Happy Birthday, Megaman" reveals nothing important. This episode features an adventure created by the N Team that doesn't fill in any information. More on that later.
One thing that's odd about this episode is the title. They spell the character's name as "Megaman". Keep in mind that this was before Capcom of America offically settled on spelling it "Mega Man". I use "Mega Man" on this site, except in the episode title.
Apparently, the Palace of Power does indeed have a security system. What it is, I have no idea. Der Kommissar mentioned shields in "Kevin in Videoland". I suppose it's possible that they have them. Of course, the shields don't seem to stop King Hippo and the Eggplant Wizard from warping into the Palace or approaching the door. Maybe the security system breaks down a lot.
Mega Man is standing outside, guarding the door to the Palace, which Lana wrongly calls a "gate". Um, Lana, a gate is a barrier to the land that the building is on.
Mega Man seems to believe that they picked him to guard the gate, because he's a robot, and they wouldn't treat him like this if he was human. But his teeth chatter! If he's a robot, why would this happen?!
Apparently, Mega Man has a communications device. Where it is, I don't know. It's not the thing on his arm. That's his life gauge.
Simon apparently runs through the door and straight into the Palace. There's a corridor here. You'd think it would be the Throne room ("Nightmare on Mother Brain's Street") or the living room ("The Most Dangerous Game Master"), but it's just a corridor with a set of double-doors at the end and a room beyond that. Of course, "Metroid Sweet Metroid" seems to suggest that the Throne room is not on the first floor of the Palace. We'll have to wait to see what future episodes show us.
I don't know why, but a slow version of "Danger Zone" is playing during this scene. Mega Man runs down a corridor while it's playing. This is a nice parallel with "Mega Trouble for Megaland", but it was most likely coincidental. Also, the NBC episode teaser for this episode contains the instrumental to "Danger Zone".
The basic premise of this episode is completely absurd. Mega Man is upset at being just a robot. He wants a heart instead of batteries. He wants to be human. I have to ask: Why?! What good is it supposed to do him?! Does he want to grow old and die? Does he want to lose a lot of his strength? Furthermore, the series has, so far, portrayed Mega Man as seeming very humanlike anyway. An example is when he gets tired in "Videolympics" and "Wishful Thinking". No, this episode can't occur before "Videolympics", since Kevin first meets Dr. Wright in part 2, "Mega Trouble for Megaland", whereas they already know each other here.
It looks like Jeffrey Scott tried to BS some kind of explanation by having Dr. Wright say that Mega Man is as human as he could make him, but he's still a robot. But even Lana, who, as I have said before, is the smartest character in this series, makes a moronic move of buying (or perhaps programming) a software cartirdge that will automatically teach Mega Man how to exercise. Why does Mega Man need to exercise?! The worst part is that Mega Man accepts it! He plans on growing "mega muscles" by using this program! Sheesh! Mega Man can feel emotions, get tired, and grow muscles. He's as good as human, if not better. That makes his quest to become human, and thus this entire episode, completely pointless.
This episode is a rip-off of "The Wizard of Oz" with Mega Man in the Tin Man's role in that he wants a heart. Kevin even references the movie in this episode. How much more blatant could it be?
Back to the party, do you notice how there's a huge stack of presents on the floor, but everyone gives Mega Man one present each? Maybe Mega Man just didn't open them, because he got so upset?
Mega Man seems to enjoy getting kissed on the cheek by Lana. But then again, who wouldn't enjoy that? ^_^
This episode says that Mega Man was turned on three years ago. Mandi Paugh says that Mega Man was really two years old during this episode. I'll get into that later.
Why didn't Lana wrap her present? Is she that cheap? Is that why was she hiding it behind her back instead of putting it in the stack?
How could Mega Man, even if he wasn't a robot, possibly mistake a rolled-up piece of paper for a newspaper?
Why would Dr. Wright set up a crate to fall from the ceiling with no warning? It could have very easily hit Mega Man.
I'm guessing that Mega Girl was either totally made up or based on the graphic of the as-yet-unnamed Roll at the end of the first "Mega Man" game. I doubt it, since Jeffrey Scott told me in an interview that he didn't play the games very much. I do like the "THIS END UP" sign on Mega Girl's crate, though.
Lana leans over to chide Mega Man, but, when he throws his party hat to the floor, she's standing up straight again.
Why is Kevin so surprised when Dr. Wright tells him that Mega Man was turned on, not born? You'd think that Kevin would already know that.
When Mega Man was guarding the entrance, it was snowing, and it looked like it was nighttime. When he's sitting outside a little over two minutes later, it's daytime, and the snow is completely gone.
That map, despite having some pretty pictures, is impossible to actually use, much like the warps map in "Kevin in Videoland".
I've always liked how Lana exclaims "What a magnificent castle!" after the narrator's "fabulous ruby castle" comment. I realize that Lana can't hear the narrator, but I find the "castle" redundancy amusing.
Kevin offers to take Mega Man to Hollywood to see Oz. Um, I doubt that the set for "The Wizard of Oz" still exists in Hollywood. Okay, Kevin merely says that he'll take Mega Man to Hollywood, not to see Oz, but it's still kind of dumb. And does this mean that Kevin can go home whenever the heck he wants? Why would Kevin even think that the wizard that they're going to see is the Wizard of Oz? Why would Mega Man call something that Kevin clearly called a "land" a "warp zone"?
Oh, great, yet another example of Simon's whip being alive. It speaks in squeaks. Not sure if I've mentioned that yet or not.
The drawbridge lands on Simon. In reality, Simon would most likely have been killed, but Jeffrey Scott wasn't about to let something as dumb as the laws of physics stand in his way. Simon is shortened and speaks in a higher-pitched voice. That's the way things work in Videoland, apparently.
Geez, Mega Man breaks the fourth wall by looking at the audience and shrugging. I hate it when stuff like that happens.
It sounds like Mega Man is looking for Mr. Wizard. Hee, hee.
Here's the first blatant clue that this episode is a rip-off of "The Wizard of Oz" is the Warp Wizard. He sounds tough, but he isn't. He also has green eyebrows. I wonder if this was the result of an animation mistake or just laziness.
How can the Warp Wizard jump up while wearing rollerskates and not fall?
The Warp Wizard is basically saying that Mega Man has only one chance to become human. Why can't Mega Man just face the Three Challenges again?
The First Challenge takes place in "the Pleasure Zone". Uh-huh-huh-huh-huh-huh. He said "Pleasure Zone". Uh-huh-huh-huh.
It's amazing that the shortcut to the Pleasure Zone just happens to be exactly where everyone's standing and large enough for them all to fit through.
The narrator says "Moments later". It had always sounded like "Months later" to me, but that doesn't make any sense (not that that's ever stopped Jeffrey Scott before).
It's pretty convenient that the clown just happens to single out Mega Man. It's almost as if he knew that this was Mega Man's quest. Maybe the Warp Wizard called and told him?
And here the clown goes, breaking the fourth wall. Stupid.
How can Simon's reflection be wearing different clothes than him, talk to him, and come out of the mirror. Is this his opposite from the previous episode? Maybe it's an illusion. Maybe it's just one of this episode's many physical impossibilities.
How can a bunch of video games not have controllers? It's obvious from the looks of the games that not all of them use the Zapper. Maybe the controllers are off the bottom of the screen? And how can Kevin zap a screen and not destroy it? Oh, Kevin's Zapper beam is yellow in this scene.
By this point, seeing Duke's name on the bowl of dog food, it's rather obvious that this place is designed (at the moment) to trap the N Team and Dr. Wright. But how could everything have been set up so quickly?
What does "Steve fashion" mean? I think that it's supposed to be "Steve's fashions". The sign isn't clear.
Dr. Wright says he could create anything in this laboratory, despite the fact that it has no equipment whatsoever. There are only some containers of chemicals. Furthermore, Dr. Wright pulls the pleasure chip out of his pocket, even though the dialogue indicates that he could create the chip in the lab. This has got to be one of the biggest audio-visual conflicts in the whole series.
How can Mega Man possibly assume that Dr. Wright might be able to make him human? Also, why would he even ask? Has he forgotten about his quest toreach the Warp of Life?
How can Mega Man jump up and just float in the air like that?
How can a rollercoaster have no tracks?
How can Lana knock over every bottle, positioned side by side, with only one small ball?
How did Lana get the teddy bear so fast? Wouldn't she have to go behind the counter?
How can the female dog not stay mad at Duke for biting her on the head? Maybe the Pleasure Zone designed her that way?
How can Mega Man forget about his quest? He's a robot! He's got a computer for a brain!
It seems that Mega Girl suffers from the same "mega" speech impediment as Mega Man, but it happens only once. In fact, except for the giggle in the Warp Wizard's castle, the first time that we hear her speak is at the Ferris Wheel.
Mega Man just now realizes that this is the First Challenge. For a robot, he sure is slow-witted.
Why do Mega Girl's knees not have armor over them? Yes, just her knees. The rest of her legs are covered.
Another example of a physical impossibility is Mega Man squeezing the clown into the shape of a ball. Dumb, dumb, dumb.
Mega Man kicks the clown into the air, apparently wanting to get him into a goldfish bowl, which he does. The bowl is large, but the inside of the bowl looks a lot bigger (another physical impossibility), and the goldfish are huge!
Sheesh. If Mega Man is strong enough to kick someone far off into the distance and move a Ferris Wheel, what's the point of Guts Power (not that it's ever mentioned or shown in the series)? And why would Mega Man want to give this up and become human?
Do you notice how Kevin and Lana were always together in the Pleasure Zone? On the rollercoaster, by the ball toss, on the merry-go-round, on the Ferris Wheel. It makes me wonder what else they might have done together in "the Pleasure Zone".
How can Simon's pocket watch indicate how many days or weeks have passed? Furthermore, if the entire N Team was gone from the Palace of Power for three weeks, wouldn't Mother Brain use the opportunity to take over Videoland? More on that later.
Now, we finally learn that the female robot is named Mega Girl. It sure took Jeffrey Scott a long time (over 12 minutes) to give us that information.
Why does Mega Man assume that the clown gave up? He kicked him into a goldfish bowl. Okay, he probably didn't see that, but he had kicked him a great distance away, so he shouldn't assume that the clown gave up because he didn't show up a few minutes later.
Why is Mega Man mean to Mega Girl? What about that pleasure chip that Dr. Wright gave him? Was it damaged? Did Mega Man remove it? More likely, Jeffrey Scott simply forgot about what he had written just a few scenes earlier.
How can Mega Girl cry, you ask? You'll find out in a while.
Does Kevin say "We better look after him" or "We better look after her"? It sounds kind of like "her" to me, but they leave Mega Girl.
Why does Lana point when she says "back in your lab"? Dr. Wright's lab is on another world!
There's a reason that Dr. Wright brought a ship with him. I'll get into that later. Right now, though, I'm going to say that the entire inflatable ship is the biggest physical impossibility of the entire episode! A solid, sturdy ship can't be made out of rubber and inflated with air! The stupidity of this ship is made blatantly obvious when Kid Icarus says that the anchor is stuck, and Dr. Wright just pops it with a pin! Come on! Anything that's heavy enough to keep a ship in place can't be popped with a pin! Likewise, if the anchor can be popped with a pin, then it shouldn't be able to hold the ship in place!
It's too coincidental, though, that Dr. Wright has exactly the type of castle that Simon wants. And why does Simon try to inflate it on the beach, if he wants it on CastleVania? And then he tries to inflate it on the ship! What is his problem?!
Dr. Wright's voice sounds different when he says "I'll handle that."
This isn't really an error, but Simon starts shaking his head before Dr. Wright finishes making his first offer.
Where did Duke get that fish from? I didn't see any fishing rods, and I doubt that Duke jumped in the water, caught a fish, and then was pulled back up into the ship. And why does Simon, apparently, take the fish into his mouth? To prevent further barfing? I'd think that having a raw fish in your mouth would cause further barfing.
What, may I ask, is a whirlpool warp? Does it warp things that it pulls in somewhere else?
How can water short Kevin's Power Pad? Hardly any water hit it, from what we see.
Why is Mega Man standing on the steering wheel while it's spinning?
Man, Mega Man's even strong enough to reverse a whirlpool. Who needs Guts Power?
Damn Mega Man for ruining a potential Kevin/Lana moment.
Where did Mega Girl get that rowboat?
What's a warp whale? If it swallows Mega Girl, will she be warped somewhere else (such as to the afterlife)?
How can Mega Man not realize that choosing to save Mega Girl is the Third Challenge?
Why does Dr. Wright say that he can build another robot to try to get Mega Man to make the wrong decision. We learn soon after that Mega Girl is alive. Dr. Wright is gambling with her life!
You know how I told you, in the "Dumb Lines" section, to see this rant? Well, that's because a lot of the lines that the characters speak in this episode are dumb, but I felt that the rant was the best place to talk about these lines.
Now, Jeffrey Scott is ripping off "Pinocchio" with the whale. Most whales don't even have teeth. And just how did Mega Man find that huge anchor that just happened to be underwater? That anchor isn't nearly big enough to hold the whale's mouth open, yet it does.
How can Mega Man spin the whale's tail without severely damaging it? Of course, I could also ask how Mega Man can send a whale so far off into the distance, but I won't.
You know how I said there's a reason that Dr. Wright brought a ship with him? It's revealed that Dr. Wright and the rest of the N Team have been "playing along with the Warp of Life the whole time". Um, how? Did Dr. Wright go with Mega Girl on her quest (yeah, she's "alive, too"; that's how come she can cry), come back, and tell the rest of the N Team of his surprise for Mega Man? Were they just pretending to be caught up in the fun of the Pleasure Zone? It didn't seem like that to me. The whole "playing along" explanation seems to contradict the rest of the episode.
The Warp of Life sure is quick to transform Mega Man from a robot into a human in only two seconds.
Lesson: Don't give up. You can do it if you're persistent.
Mega Man has a heart. Mega Girl's alive. Everybody's happy. Kevin's waving to no one. Now that the episode's finally over, I will give my comments on the general plot overall.
What the hell what Jeffrey Scott smoking when he wrote this episode?
The basic plot sucks. Why does Mega Man want to become "human" or "alive"? Which one is it, anyway? How will it benefit him? This is never explained! I suppose that Jeffrey Scott was writing Mega Man's robotic condition as a metaphor for a disability, and he was going for a "don't give up; you can do it" theme, but he could have written an episode about one of the human characters getting over a fear of something for that.
Mandi Paugh wrote a disjointed fanfic sequel to this episode, claming that Mega Man is two years old, not three. She also said that a regular robot could not have any desire to become human, so she changed Mega Man into a bioloid, a "living machine". She said that the Warp of Life didn't give life; it merely changed the form of life. So even the MegaMaster couldn't write a story based on this episode without changing it. It's that bad.
Jeffrey Scott excluded Mother Brain, King Hippo, the Eggplant Wizard, Dr. Wily, the Count, Donkey Kong, and every other villain and minion from the story. Sure, this allows more focus on the N Team, but let's look at it closer. He had the N Team leave the Palace (presumably) unguarded and go off on an adventure. Mother Brain should have conquered Videoland in their three-week absence. It doesn't look like that happened, though. Hey, maybe it did. Maybe the N Team's going to have a little surprise waiting for them when they get back to the Palace.
Also, the very fact that this episode completely disregards Mother Brain, whose threat is the reason that Kevin is in Videoland at all, without establishing any important backstory makes this episode pointless and completely disposable.
No, you say? "Look! Look! Kevin and Lana hug each other! That's further evidence that they like each other! This is a vital episode! We can't ignore it!" Who knows? Maybe Jeffrey Scott knew that this story was stupid and threw in the Kevin/Lana hug to try to salvage this episode. Or maybe he just didn't know what the hell he was doing.
In fact, no other episode introduces so many elements that are never followed up on. Mega Girl never appears again. No mention is made of Mega Man being human or alive. The corridor on the first floor of the Palace is never shown again. Since Mother Brain isn't even mentioned, this episode could seemingly take place in an alternate universe, where Mother Brain doesn't exist. Unfortunately, it's part of the Captain N cartoon canon, so we must deal with it.
As for what to cut out, almost every stupid part is somehow related to the entire stupid plot. I'll just pick the part about the ship's anchor being stuck and popped. Removing it would have freed 8 seconds. Those 8 seconds could have been better used for, um, I dunno, something involving Kevin and Lana, not that it would have saved the episode.
My final judgment of this episode is that it's completely disposable, it's arguably the worst episode of Season 1, and it's a horrible season finale.
Usefulness ratings:
Kevin: 0
Lana: 0
Simon: 0
Mega Man: 3 (realizing the trap of the Pleasure Zone, reversing the whirlpool, saving Mega Girl)
Kid Icarus: 2 (spotting the whirlpool, spotting the island)
Duke: 0
The running total usefulness ratings so far are:
Kevin: 47 (13 episodes)
Lana: 9 (13 episodes)
Simon: 21 (13 episodes)
Mega Man: 17 (13 episodes)
Kid Icarus: 23 (13 episodes)
Duke: 14 (13 episodes)
That's the end of my review of "Happy Birthday, Megaman", but keep reading! This is something that I should have done in my review of "Kevin in Videoland", but I didn't think of it at the time. I'm going to review the "Captain N: The Game Master" (Season 1) theme song!
It starts out with a map of Videoland, including CastleVania, Metroid, Mount Icarus, Kongoland, Palace of Power, and Megaland. Mount Icarus seems to be spelled "Mount-Icarus". The narrator exclaims "Welcome to Videoland!"
The map morphs into Megaland, complete with the pink sky as seen in "Mega Trouble for Megaland". Mega Man rides by on a scooter on one of Megaland's loops (gee, Megaland is small), waves, and exclaims "Mega hi!"
A cloud moving up the screen is the transition to Mount Icarus, where Kid Icarus is asleep on a cloud. Princess Lana says "Wake up, Kid Icarus." Kid wakes up and shoots an arrow to the left side of the screen.
It changes into a lightning bolt, and we see the castle on CastleVania. We hear thunder. The Count exclaims "Velcome to CastleVania!" The Count flies out of the castle in bat form. Simon chases after him, holding his whip, and exclaims "Yahoo! Ya-hoo!" Simon has a different voice than usual and grins while he exclaims this.
Then we see Kongoland, where Donkey Kong is wearing an apron and chef's hat and stirring something in a large, black pot over a fire on the ground. Donkey Kong growls. We see a bunch of stars and other shapes, apparently from Donkey Kong hitting us.
Then we see Metroid, apparently out of control, and Mother Brain exclaims "Mother Brain will get you, little Princess!" Then we see Mother Brain as she laughs. Then her jar fills up with bubbles, covering her face.
Then we see the Palace of Power on a clear day, and Kid Icarus exclaims "Princess! The Palace is under siege!" (despite there being no apparent siege taking place). Then we see alternate footage of Lana, Kid Icarus, Simon, and Mega Man around the pedestal. This isn't the same footage that was animated for "Kevin in Videoland". For one thing, the room is brighter. This does provide a nice view of the Throne room, but I doubt that much, if any, of the theme song is canon. The narrator exclaims "Behold - the Ultimate Warp Zone!"
The warp opens on a live-action overhead view of Kevin's house. Then we see the live-action footage of Kevin and Duke, which was shot for the opening theme song and then used in "Kevin in Videoland" by Jeffrey Scott. Kevin exclaims "Wow!" (which we don't hear in "Kevin in Videoland"), and his mother calls "Kevin?! I thought I told you to clean up your room!" We don't hear her during this scene in "Kevin in Videoland", but we do hear her saying other things to Kevin at the end of that episode. We hear her say this line in Kevin's nightmare in "Nightmare on Mother Brain's Street". I'm not sure if it's the same recording or not. We see a shot of Duke turning his head towards the TV screen after the mysterious green creature. We don't see that in "Kevin in Videoland".
Kevin and Duke fall through the Ultimate Warp Zone, as we see in "Kevin in Videoland".
The picture goes out, like a TV screen being clicked off. Then it clicks back on to show the entire N Team standing in front of the throne. Well, Duke's sitting, and Kid Icarus is flying. Kevin draws his Zapper and fires a blue beam at the screen. The screen goes black with the "Captain N" logo on it. The blue beam creates "THE GAME MASTER".
It's a pretty good opening theme, lasting for a minute. The music is catchy. It's the traditional "Captain N theme" music that's often played during heroic moments in the episodes.
The closing theme starts with the live-action Kevin playing with his NES Advantage, and it goes through the rest of the opening theme, except, instead of the group shot in front of the throne, it ends with the other N Team members going to the warp when Kevin's arrives, Kevin and Duke are dumped onto the floor, and Kevin (silently) asks "How'd we get here?" I'm not sure if this was animated for the closing theme or "Kevin in Videoland" first.
There were also two original pics shown during Season 1's run on NBC. The bumpers started with the door to the NBC Secret Saturday Club (Kids Only) opening, some characters (probably claymation) hanging out, and the camera zooming in on a TV set, where the pics were shown. The bumper leading into the commercials showed Lana, Kevin, Simon, and Kid Icarus, and it read "CAPTAIN N: THE GAMEMASTER WILL RETURN AFTER THESE MESSAGES". I guess that's an easy mistake to make, but a Season 1 episode confirms that "Game Master" is two words, not one. The bumper coming back from the break showed King Hippo towering over a frightened Eggplant Wizard, his right fist raised in anger, and it read "WE NOW RETURN TO CAPTAIN N: THE GAMEMASTER". These bumpers are nice.
Well, I've reviewed all 13 Season 1 episodes, the Season 1 theme song, and the Season 1 commercial bumpers, but we're not through with Season 1 yet! Next, we'll revisit every episode when I review Season 1 as a whole! See ya then!